Ten startups were selected as winners of Buffalo Business First’s second annual Inno Fire Awards. Their stories show the passion and diversity of the local startup scene. Meet Braidbabes below; see the other winners here.
Braidbabes
CEO: Emmily Bowman
Founded: 2019
Headquarters: Buffalo
What the company does: Provides at-home, on-demand braiding services
Braidbabes started in Buffalo and has been scaling, with no plans of slowing down.
The at-home, on-demand braiding services business has grown to Nashville and, as of September 2022, Phoenix. In January, the startup’s “slow season” for Nashville and Buffalo, the business had 61 braiders total.
Buffalo continues to be the most successful market, making up about 75% of the company’s revenue in 2022.
Since launching as a full-fledged business in January 2019, Braidbabes has brought in $1.7 million in total revenue and booked about 12,000 appointments, CEO Emmily Bowman said in January.
The business has raised about $168,500 on Wefunder, with its ultimate goal to hit $1 million and expand into two more cities this year.
Braidbabes has had success with events, including the Buffalo Bills booking the braiding services for every home game this past season. Nashville Soccer Club, a Major League Soccer team, booked the startup for its fan experience for every home game next season.
“We’re finding the same success in that second market so that’s really exciting,” said Bowman.
